Preview: Capitals at Bruins

April 20, 2012|Reuters

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Preview: Capitals at Bruins

THE STORY: The Boston Bruins were denied a 3-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series because of another spectacular performance from 22-year-old Braden Holtby. Despite putting 45 shots on goal in Game 4, the Bruins solved the goaltender only once as Washington leveled the series at two wins apiece with a 2-1 victory. The Capitals rallied without center Nicklas Backstrom, who served a one-game suspension for his cross-check on Boston's Rich Peverley in Game 3. Game 5 is Saturday in Boston.

TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC,

ABOUT THE CAPITALS: Captain Alex Ovechkin only had two minutes of ice time in the third period of Thursday's win and was limited to 15 seconds of action in the final 14 minutes of the contest. The two-time NHL MVP said "it doesn't matter" how many minutes he plays, as long as his team wins. Coach Dale Hunter told reporters he wanted his "shot blockers out there" with his squad protecting a one-goal lead. The Capitals sent goaltender Dany Sabourin back to the minors on Friday. Sabourin had been serving as a backup for Holtby because of injuries to Michal Neuvirth and Tomas Vokoun. Neuvirth has recovered from a lower-body injury.

ABOUT THE BRUINS: The Bruins went 0-for-1 on the power play in Game 4 and have failed to score with the man advantage 12 times in the series. "The net front presence has to be better," coach Claude Julien said. "Not just screening, but also finding those loose pucks." Forward Patrice Bergeron appeared to have a great chance to knot the contest at 2-2 with a second remaining, but Holtby used his quick glove to snatch his shot from close range. A clock malfunction gave the Bruins an extra 5.3 seconds to try and tie the game, but the NHL later deemed that Bergeron's late shot would not have counted. The problem stemmed from crowd noise that led to a miscommunication that extended the game.

OVERTIME:

1. Washington's defense blocked 26 shots in Game 4 - the third time the Capitals have blocked 20-plus shots in the series.

2. Capitals forwards Brooks Laich and Ovechkin have one goal and three assists apiece in the series.

3. Holtby has a 1.60 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in four career playoff games.